Family rides together to raise thousands for children’s charity

A family from Gossups Green completed a 26 kilometre bicycle ride to raise vital funds for the charity that supported their son.
The D’Costa familyThe D’Costa family
The D’Costa family

A family from Gossups Green completed a 26 kilometre bicycle ride to raise vital funds for the charity that supported their son.

Jo-Ann D’Costa, along with her husband Wayne, 14-year-old daughter Sienna, and 11-year-old son Cruzy, completed the ride on May 3, 2020, as part of the 2.6 Challenge, set up by Britain’s mass participation event organisers, including the London Marathon, to support UK charities.

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With the London Marathon now being postponed until October 4, 2020, due to the coronavirus crisis, the UK charity sector estimates it will lose £4 billion in income as a result of the pandemic with thousands of fundraising events postponed.

Cruzy and Jo-AnnCruzy and Jo-Ann
Cruzy and Jo-Ann

In response to the postponement organisers launched the 2.6 Challenge on April 26, what should have been the date for the 40th edition of the London Marathon, to get the public to take part in a fundraising activity based around the numbers 2.6 or 26.

Jo-Ann and the family decided to ride 26 kilometres for Caudwell Children, the national charity that supports disabled children and their families.

She said: “Cruzy was diagnosed with autism when he was two years old.

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“We were living in Australia at the time and we had to sell everything we had, including our car, to get him assessed, diagnosed and treated.

“We returned to the UK and were desperate for help, luckily we were told about Caudwell Children, and the support that they give to autistic children.

“They were amazing and they provided support to Cruzy for the next three years, so now it’s our chance to give something back at this crucial time for charities.”

The family rode around a number of West Sussex cycle paths near to their home and asked friends and family to sponsor them in order to hit their £2,000 target.

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“We desperately wanted to raise the money for Caudwell Children, as it was a dark time for the family when we first contacted them,” continued Jo-Ann.

“But they held our hand and helped to pull us out of the dark hole and life since has flourished and Cruzy, continues to make gains every day.”

Having launched a Just Giving page just nine days ago the family were delighted, on completion of the ride, to find that they had smashed their target.

Jo-Ann said: “We were staggered to find that, including Gift Aid, we had raised £2,939.

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“It’s been hard to watch key workers going out every day to support our country and not be able to give back.

“We’ve also used this opportunity to teach the children that no matter how small, every act of kindness can go a long way.

“It’s also a good time to teach children to always support other children, and I couldn’t think of a worthier charity than Caudwell Children.”

You can support Jo-Ann and the family through their Just Giving page here: www.justgiving.com/jo-ann-wayne-sienna-and-cruzys-2-6-challenge